Root scored 59 and Pope 56 as England moved quickly on from their overnight score of 192-4 before three quick wickets for Anrich Nortje slowed the march. Pope’s third Test half-century came up in 61 balls before he played on to a delivery from Nortje. Witnesses told the Guardian that a middle-aged man had targeted Stokes, allegedly calling him a “ginger c**t” and likening him to pop star Ed Sheeran. I should not have reacted in that way,” Stokes said in a statement released on Twitter. “As I was leaving the playing area, I was subjected to repeated abuse from the crowd.
